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NX70V Case w/ Belt
Clip I have been writing reviews
for PDA News 24 for over nine months now.
During that time, I have evaluated and reviewed about a dozen cases for
different accessory distributors. These
included everything from cheap “universal” PDA bags to much more expensive and
higher quality form-fitted cases by companies such as Vaja and Piel Frama. Despite having all these cases to choose
from, however, there was one that I kept coming back to over and over again due
to its abundance of features – features that make it an ideal case in my
opinion. That case was one designed by
Bellagio. I originally reviewed the Bellagio Case back in February
and it was one of the first cases I had the chance to look at. Despite that, however, I began by creating a
list of features that I would want in a case and remarking that the Bellagio
case fit all those needs. The list was
as follows: 1)
Accessibility to all controls and ports (MS, WIFI, IR, and Camera) Since writing that review,
and trying several other cases as well, there is one thing I would like to add
to the list – a sturdy belt clip. In the
last several months I have begun to rely on a belt clip as my preferred method
of transportation for my Clié and wear my NX70V on my hip wherever I go – even while
singing in the church choir.
Unfortunately the Bellagio case did not offer a belt clip as an option. Oh, but it does now! Bellagio has improved on what was, in my
mind, a perfect case by offering it in Nubuck Brown suede with both colors
(brown and black) having an optional belt clip.
I’m not going to spend a
lot of time re-writing a review that has already been done (you can read the
original review here). I do want to point out, however, that the
case, as is typical of Bellagio Designs, is made of the finest leather and is
even more functional than it is attractive.
The Nubuck brown had a suede texture to the darker section and is very
masculine looking.
The front flap of the case
is padded slightly to provide added protection to your Clie’s screen (I almost
always keep mine in the tablet mode) and offers additional protection by adding
a “wallet” flap containing 4 credit-card size pockets between the recessed MS
and CF pockets and the surface of the screen. (The pockets being recessed allow
the memory sticks or CF card to rest flush in the case when it is closed
against the screen thus removing the possibility of pressure points on the surface
of the screen.)
But the best feature, by
far, is the ability to put your Clié in the cradle and sync or charge it without
having to remove it from the case. As a beta
tester and one who evaluates tons of software, I often find myself syncing my
PDA 12-15 times a day and the trouble of removing it from the case all the time
is quite a bother. Many cases fit so
tight that they are difficult to remove / install and often pull out the stylus
then removing the case from the NX70V. I
have never seen a case other than the ones by Bellagio that would allow you to
keep the PDA in the case while it was in the cradle. For a flash demonstration of this capability,
visit Bellagio’s
web site.
One further note: the belt
clip is very well made as well. The
button portion of the clip is metal and anchored by a tab sewn into the leather
that is roughly ¾” wide by 1 ¾” high.
The clip is also very strong and, instead of locking onto the button by
using a retractable post that foes into the center of the button, instead is
designed to completely close the opening at the top of the belt clip until the
release button on top is pressed. It is
a very secure clip and I feel confident that the case won’t pop loose of the
clip by providing pressure on the bottom of it – something that happens with a
lot of other PDA cases I have tried. What can I say? The best has indeed gotten better and, in my
opinion, Bellagio has found the one way to improve on perfection. I can’[t wait to see
what they come up with next. |
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